US Judge denies Trump's former White House chief Mark Meadows' request to move Georgia election case to federal court
Joe Biden. Trump also may seek to move his trial from state to federal court, his lawyer said in a court filing on Thursday. Meadows filed a notice of appeal later on Friday.
A lawyer for Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in the 2024 election, has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty. Meadows also has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors have argued that those acts were not "necessary and proper" duties for a U.S. president and his chief of staff. Meadows has said they were part of his portfolio as Trump's top White House aide.
The law allows defendants to have their cases heard in federal court if the charges against them stem from their official duties. Meadows could have faced a friendlier jury pool in federal court, which draws from a larger and more politically diverse area than Fulton County, Georgia, the Democratic stronghold where the case was filed. Moving to federal court also would have let Meadows argue that he is immune from state prosecution because he was carrying out his duties as a federal official.
Meadows, Trump and 17 others were charged in a sprawling indictment in August. Trump has said the criminal case and three others he faces are part of a political plot aimed at preventing him from retaking the White House in next year's election. Former US President Donald Trump and his associates are being tried to allegedly overturn the results of 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
He is also set to face three other criminal trials in the next year which could complicate the schedule for the Georgia case. Trump is under indictment in Florida for his handling of classified after leaving office. He is also
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